Originally Posted by
indyfabz
Heh. The first night of my first ever tour (across the U.S. using ACA's Northern Tier route) we camped at Kitsap Memorial Park in WA. It was my first night ever camping. It was freezing in later May. I don't remember what I wore at night, but I did have a 32 degree bag.
If I am going to be in an area where it might get nippy at night I will bring a warm pair of wool socks, a bottom base layer (I have a synthetic one and a wool one), my Rahpa top base layer and a wool hat along with the little beanie that fits under my helmet.
The ratings on sleeping bags
are based on a person wearing one long underwear layer and a pair of socks, sleeping on an insulated surface. There is also a comfort rating, as well as a cooler rating, plus there is often rounding to the nearest 0 or 5 number.
For instance, my bag is a 20 degree bag, but the comfort rating is 32 degrees and the tested lower limit is 21. When it's in the 30s, I'm wearing long underwear, socks, and a hat.
See https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-adv...e-ratings.html